One piece hair clip biased closed by a flexible spring finger



Oct. 18, 1966 L, SOLOMON 3,279,479

ONE PIECE HAIR CLlP BIASED CLOSED BY A FLEXIBLE SPRING FINGER Filed June24, 1963 IN\ ENTOR. NATHAN L.SOLOMON ORNEYS United States Patent3,279,479 ONE PIECE HAIR CLIP BIASED CLOSED BY A FLEXIBLE SPRING FIN GERNathan L. Solomon, R0. Box 550, Englewood, NJ. Filed June 24, 1963, Ser.No. 289,835 3 Claims. ((1 132-46) This invention relates to a hairholding device and more particularly relates to a device employed forclamping curled hair to maintain the hair in a formed curl.

In forming curls and setting the hair in the form of waves, it iscustomary to form a portion of the hair in a relatively tight, circularcurl, or flat thin curl, which then is set by holding the curl inposition or shape over night or by the application of permanent wavingsolutions. The formed curl is commonly referred to a a flat, pin orsculptured curl.

Conventional devices for holding this type of curl in position aresubject to a number of well-known difficulties and disadvantages whichhave prompted many proposals to remedy them. Probably the most widelyused holding device is the ordinary bobby pin. Also, modified variationsof the hair pin have been proposed but these have been unsatisfactorybecause they are difiicult to apply, unsatisfactory in retaining allportions of the curl in position or inclined towards kinking the hairwhen tensioned for firm holding. More successful have been the varioushinged and spring locked clasps and clips. These devices are relativelyeasy to apply, but are uncomfortable and conspicuous. These clips haveat least two separate pieces and the clamping jaws are hingedly mounted.The hinge construction increases materially the cost of manufacturingand assembling the clips. Often, in use the hinge construction catchesloose strands of hair, which hinders removing the clip from the hair anddisturbs the shape of the formed curl.

A further disadvantage of the hinged and spring locked clasps and clipsis that they depend for their holding action on spring engaged, touchingelements. Accordingly, the elements cannot be coated, as a practicalmatter, with protective paint or varnish, which is necessary for usewith the corrosive hair waving solution commonly used today. With thewide use today of home permanents and the self-application of waveset-ting solutions, it is desirable, if not essential, that a hairretaining device be resistant to the chemicals in these solutions. Thus,the spring-urged clasps must be made from materials which are themselvesresistant to the corrosive solutions, which is expensive and often makesthe elements hard to produce.

Accordingly, a need exists for a light-weight, durable inexpensivehair-holding device, which is easy to apply to the hair and which willmaintain itself from accidental disengagement therefrom and can be usedsafely with all types of hair waving or setting solutions, and yet causeno discomfort to the wearer.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide aone-piece curl holding device that is spring biased to a normally closedposition, and which can be easily applied with one hand.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a one-piecehair holding device of simple construction formed of two superposed armswith resilient means integrally carried on one of the arms engaging theother arm remote from the hair holding surfaces and in such a way as tourge the hair holding device to its closed position.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a pair ofclamping arms integrally joined at the pivot area to prevent separation,and having a spring tongue integral on one of the arms and cooperatingwith 3,279,479 Patented Get. 18, 1966 the other arm for spring biasingthe clamping portions of the arms toward closed position.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a one-piece curlholding device having two arms with means on the arms for holding themin spring clamping engagement, one with respect to the other to supporta flat curl between the arms, which device can be molded with littleassembly required to place it in operative position.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a simpleeconomical device for supporting a flat curl during the process ofsetting, the device having sufficient width and length to engage themajor portion of the curl to maintain the same in its flat conditionduring the setting period.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a clampingdevice that accomplishes all of the above and yet is light in weight,durable, inexpensive to fabricate, allows moisture in the hair to freelyevaporate, is easy to package and is reliable in use.

Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent when thefollowing description is considered in connection with the annexeddrawing, wherein like parts are indicated by like reference numeralsthroughout, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a curler device madein accordance with the present invention prior to assembling;

FIGURE 2 is a right side elevational view of FIGURE FIGURE 3 is a frontelevational view showing the embodiment of FIGURE 1 assembled in itsclosed or clamping position;

FIGURE 4 is a front elevational view of another embodiment of thepresent invention as molded and ready to be assembled;

FIGURE 5 shows the embodiment of FIGURE 4 assembled and in its openposition;

FIGURE 6 is a front elevational view of a further embodiment of thepresent invention as molded;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the device shown inFIGURE 6 as assembled and ready to use; and

FIGURE 8 is a front elevational view of another embodiment of thepresent invention as assembled showing the shape of the spring arm asmolded, in shadow.

Referring now to the drawings FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 show one embodiment ofthe present invention. A hair holding device 10 is shown having a pairof clamping arms or members 12 and 14 in superposed relation, which areintegrally united or joined intermediate of their end, such as by abridge or connection at 16. As illustrated arms 12 and 14 are ofsubstantially equal length so that their free ends terminatesubstantially even, but if desired, one arm may be slightly longer thanthe other.

Arms 12 and 14 are generally elongated and are preferably formed toprovide a handle portion and a clamping portion. Arms 12 and 14 have atcorresponding ends, clamping portions 17 and 19, respectively, forholding the hair or curl therebetween. In the embodiment illustrated inFIGURES l3, clamping portions 17 and 19 are generally parallel. Clampingportion 17 has a pair of parallel fingers 17a and 17b spaced apart toprovide an opening 18 therebetween. Fingers 17a and 1712 are joined by abar adjacent their outer ends for providing added rigidity. Similarly,clamping portion 19 has a pair of spaced apart parallel fingers 19a and19b with an opening 20 therebetween and joined together with astrengthening bar 190.

The handle portion of arm 14 extends beyond connection 16 and isdesignated 22. A portion of the inner surface of handle 22 is tapereddownwardly and outwardly as shown at 24. Arm 12 has a finger graspingportion or handle portion 26, which is offset at an angle from the axisof arm 12 to provide a clearance angle 30 between handle portions 22 and26 so as to enable them to be pressed toward each other between thethumb and a finger of the operator of the device. While handle portion26 is illustrated as offset from its cor-responding clam-ping portion17, other constructions of the arms can be used, since it is merelynecessary that the handle portions of the arms be angularly disposedtoward each other, so that moving them toward each other separates theclamping portions.

A resilient means is provided for normally urging clamping portions 17and 19 into engagement with each other in their closed or normalposition.

Hingedly connected to the transverse edge of handle 26 is an extension32. Extending outwardly and angularly to extension 32, and directedtoward arm 14 is an elongated flexible finger or tongue 34. As molded,extension 32 is spaced from the inner surface of handle portion 26 andfinger 34 is spaced from handle 22. As seen best in FIGURE 3, inassembled position, extension 32 is juxtaposed against the inner surfaceof handle 26 and finger 34 is flexed inwardly towards connecting portion16 and rests on the inner surface of handle 22, adjacent the taperedportion 24.

In its flexed position as viewed in FIGURE 3, finger 34 urges handleportion 22 clockwise and handle portion 26 counter clockwise abouthinged portion 16, thereby biasing and maintaining clamping portions 17and 19 in their normally closed position.

For operation of the assembled device as viewed in FIGURE 3, inwardlydirected pressure is applied to handle portions 22 and 26, tending tobring them closer together, which causes clam-ping portions 17 and 19 tobe opened. Arms .12 and 14 pivot about connecting portion 16. Duringsuch opening movement, the free end of finger 34 slides along the innersurface of handle portion 24 toward hinged portion 16, and is furtherflexed. To reduce friction, the free end of finger 34 may be providedwith a rounded end portion, as at 36. Release of the pressure on handleportions 22 and 26 allows the pressure of the flexed finger 34 to forceclamping portions 17 and 19 to their closed position, FIGURE 3, and tomaintain them in this position under pressure.

Advantageously, as shown, the inner surfaces of clamping portions 17 and19 adjacent their respective free ends are roughened or have a series ofprojections extending therefrom to aid in gripping the curl and avoidaccidental slippage or displacement therefrom. Similarly, the outersurfaces of handles 22 and 26 may have a series of grooves orprojections, or be roughened to prevent slippage or accidentaldisplacement. Further, the free end of clamping portion or jaw 17 couldbe curved upwardly or have kick-up to aid in receiving the hair.

A further embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGURES 4 and5. Clamp 40 has a pair of arms or members 42 and 44 with clampingportions 43 and 45 and finger pieces or handle portions 46 and 48,respectively. Members 42 and 44 are integrally joined by a pivotingconnection 50. Integrally extending downwardly from the inner surface ofhandle portion 46 is a flexible elongated finger 52 having a roundedknob or projection 54 at its free end. As shown, finger 52 is spacedfrom the transverse edge of handle portion 26. Extending upwardly fromthe inner surface of handle portion 48 is a projection or boss 56 forcooperating with the knob 54 in a manner as will 'be shown.

In its disassembled position, finger 52 is curved around the outertransverse edge of handle portion 48. Assembly is effected by flexingand urging finger 52 inwardly into the space between handles 46 and 48,positioning knob .54 or finger 52 behind projection 56, as seen best inFIG- URE 5. Finger .5} in its flQXed condition urges handle 48 away fromhandle 46 and thereby pivots clamping portions 45 and 43 respectivelyabout connection 58 and forces them together. In its assembled positionfinger 52 continually provides a separating force on the inner surfacesof handles 46 and 48 and hence clamping portions 43 and 45 are normallybiased in their closed position. Kno'b S4 cooperates with projection 56to prevent displacement of finger 52 from between handles 46 and 48.

Operation of the device as shown in FIGURES 4 and 5 is similar to thatdescribed above with respect to the device shown in FIGURES 1-3. Acompressive force applied to handles 46 and 48 further flexes finger 52and allows arms 42 and 44 to pivot about connection 50 for separatingclamping pontions 43 and 45 respectively, and permitting a curl or thelike between clamping portions 43 and 45. If handles 46 and 48 arecompressed even further, knob 54 slides towards hinged portion 50 andupon release of the compressing force applied to handles 46 and 48,finger 52 returns to its initial position with knob 54 cooperating withprojection 56.

In FIGURES 6 and 7 is illustrated another form of this invention. Adevice 61 has a bottom handle portion 62 having a cutout 64 on its innersurface adjacent its free end. The edge of cutout 64 may be tapered, asshown at 66 in FIGURES 6 and 7. Integrally extending from upper handleportion 68 is an elongated flexible finger 70. While finger 70 is shownextending from the free edge of upper handle 68, it may extend fromvarious places on inner surface 69 of handle portion 68. In itsunstressed position the free end of finger 70 extends within cutout 64,such as shown in FIGURE 6. While a cutout 64 was shown, a ledge orplatform can be used on the portion of handle portion 62 indicated at 67to stress finger 70.

In assembling device 61, finger 70 is flexed inwardly towards hingedportion 72 and rests on the inner surface of handle portion 62, as seenbest in FIGURE 7. As viewed in FIGURE 7, finger 70 exerts a separatingforce on handles 62 and 68, which urges the clamping members 74 and 76together. In operation, a closing force is exerted on handles 62 and 68thereby further stressing finger 70 and urging finger 70 to slide alongthe inner surface of handle 62 toward pivot portion 72. Clamping members74 and 76 pivot about portion 72 and separate. Upon removal of thecompressing force on handles 62 and 68, clamping members 74 and 76 areforced together by action of flexed finger 70, thereby clamping the curlor hair therebetween.

A further embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGURE 8, inwhich the lower handle portion 82 has an off-set or raised edge 84.Extending downwardly and away from upper handle 86 is an elongatedflexible finger 88 with a protuberance or flange adjacent its free endfor cooperating with edge 84 and preventing separation. In itsunstressed position, finger 88 extends outwardly away from the spacebetween handle portion 82 and 86 as shown by the dotted lines anddesignated as 88a. Finger 88 is flexed and rotated clockwise to bedisposed between handle portions 82 and 86, and flange 90 coacts withedge 84 to prevent displacement from between the handle portions. Finger88 exerts a separating force on handle 82 for maintaining clamping arms92 and 94 in closed position. By pressing handles 82 and 86 toward oneanother, finger 88 is further flexed and clamping arms 92 and 94 areseparated. Flange 90 may be urged away from edge 84 towards pivotingconnection 96. Upon release of the compressing force on handles 82 and86, clamping arms 92 and 94 return to their closed position and retainthe curl or hair therebetween.

The clamping arms of all the embodiments shown may be of any convenientshape, such as individual prongs, or a series of multifinger prongs, allof which may be perforated or varied in shape and offset from eachother.

It will also be understood that the holding device disclosed is aone-piece integral clamp and can be constructed of any suitablematerial, but advantageously from the standpoint of economy, ease offabrication, and weight, it is desirable to form this device from aplastic material having flexibility, high strength, lightness, chemicalresistance and fatigue resistance, so that the resulting molded clip orclasp produces a fir-rn clamping action, but yet can be readilyseparated upon compressing the finger grasping the ends. Such aresilient plastic is preferably polypropylene or polyethylene.

While the spring forming member was illustratively shown extending fromthe upper handle portion, it could as easily be formed integral with thelower handle portion.

A holding device is thus disclosed which achieves important practicaladvantages. The device can be constructed to suit different sizes ofcurls on which it is to be used, such as by varying the proportions ofthe various elements as to length and width. Greater tension can beobtained by increasing the thickness and pretensioning of the stressedfinger extending from the handle portions. The clamping members, asshown, may be easily perforated to provide free and uninterruptedevaporation of the moisture of the hair. T he hair holding deviceprovides gentle uniform pressure on the hair strands for holding thehair in place and is positively retained in the hair. A simple,economical device is provided, which avoids almost any assembling otherthan further placement of the tensioning arm and hence the device can besupplied to the user at a nominal cost.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above,it will be understood that many variations thereof will be readilyapparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spiritthereof. Therefore, it is intended that the foregoing shall be deemedillustrative only and not construed in a limiting sense, the presentinvention being defined solely by the claims granted.

What I claim is:

1. A one-piece plastic hair holding device comprising a pair ofsuperposed elongated arms extending longitudinally with each other,pivot means comprising a bridge integrally connecting said arms betweentheir corresponding ends, said arms being pivotable about said integralbridge and having clamping jaws on one side of said bridge and handleportions on the other side, a flexible finger integrally extending fromone of said handle portions, said finger having a free end and being ofa length greater than any part of its cross-sectional area, so as to behighly flexible and bendable, a step surface extending outwardly fromthe inner surface of said other handle portion adjacent said bridge,said finger being flexed between said handle portions and engaging saidstep sur face with said free end at a point spaced from said bridge,whereby said free end is movable along said step in response to pressureon said handle portions for urging said handle portions apart and saidclamping jaws together, said step surface maintaining said finger inflexed condition.

2. A one-piece plastic hair holding device comprising a pair ofsuperposed elongated arms extending longitudinally with each other,pivot means comprising a bridge integrally connecting said arms betweentheir corresponding ends, said arms being pivotable about said integralbridge and having clamping jaws on one side of said bridge and handleportions on the other side, a flexible finger integrally extending fromone of said handle portions in a direction away from said bridge, saidfinger being of a length greater than any part of its crosssectionalarea, so as to be highly flexible and bendable, said finger having aprotuberance on its free end and being flexed and engaging the otherhandle portion at a point spaced from said bridge, whereby said free endis movable along the other handle portion in response to pressure onsaid handle portions for urging said handle portions apart and saidclamping jaws together, means on said other handle portion cooperatingwith said protuberance on said finger for maintaining said finger inoperative engagement with said other handle portion.

3. A hair holding device in accordance with claim 2, wherein said meanscomprises a projection extending from said other handle portion toprevent displacement of said free end of said finger.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,166,460 7/1939Burns 132-50 2,464,739 3/1949 Solomon et al. 132-46 2,531,854 11/1950Linden 132-50 2,637,329 5/1953 Reiter 132-46 2,764,987 10/1956 Braga132-50 2,931,086 4/1960 Rose 24-137 2,979,060 4/ 1961 Reiner 132-48FOREIGN PATENTS 81,221 9/ 1920 Austria. 442,065 6/ 1912 France.

RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner.

R. L. FRINKS, Assistant Examiner.

1. ONE-PIECE PLASTIC HAIR HOLDING DEVICE COMPRISING A PAIR OF SUPERPOSEDELONGATED ARMS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY WITH EACH OTHER, PIVOT MEANSCOMPRISING A BRIDGE INTEGRALLY CONNECTING SAID ARMS BETWEEN THEIRCORRESPONDING ENDS, SAID ARMS BEING PIVOTABLE ABOUT SAID INTEGRAL BRIDGEAND HAVING CLAMPING JAWS ON ONE SIDE OF SAID BRIDGE AND HANDLE PORTIONSON THE OTHER SIDE, A FLEXIBLE FINGER INTEGRALLY EXTENDING FROM ONE OFSAID HANDLE PORTIONS, SAID FINGER HAVING A FREE END AND BEING OF ALENGTH GREATER THAN ANY PART OF ITS CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA, SO AS TO BEHIGHLY FLEXIBLE AND BENDABLE, A STEP SURFACE EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROMTHE INNER SURFACE OF SAID OTHER HANDLE PORTION ADJACENT SAID BRIDGE,SAID FINGER BEING FLEXED BETWEEN SAID HANDLE PORTIONS AND ENGAGING SAIDSTEP SURFACE WITH SAID FREE END AT A POINT SPACED FROM SAID BRIDGE,WHEREBY SAID FREE END IS MOVABLE ALONG SAID STEP IN RESPONSE TO PRESSUREON SAID HANDLE PORTIONS FOR URGING SAID HANDLE PORTIONS APART AND SAIDCLAMPING JAWS TOGETHER, SAID STEP SURFACE MAINTAINING SAID FINGER INFLEXED CONDITION.